A single alcohol binge can cause bacteria to leak from the gut and increase levels of bacterial toxins in the blood, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Increased levels of these bacterial toxins, called endotoxins, were shown to affect the immune system, with the body producing more immune cells involved in fever, inflammation, and...

New research supported by the National Institutes of Health shows how elements of the brain’s stress and reward pathways can interact to suppress binge alcohol drinking. The finding, now online in the journal Nature Neuroscience, suggests potential strategies for treating and preventing alcohol use problems. “This study is an important contribution to our knowledge of the neurobiology of alcohol use...

NIH-funded multi-site clinical trial suggests that smokers may also benefit A new medication that targets part of the brain’s stress system may help reduce alcohol use in people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. “Medications have become...

What: The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, announces that Peter M. Monti, Ph.D., will deliver the 10th Annual Jack Mendelson Honorary Lecture. The title of his presentation is “Alcohol Misuse and HIV: Biology, Beliefs and Behavior.” Who: Peter M. Monti, Ph.D., is an internationally distinguished scientist who has increased our...

Communities can decrease alcohol-related fatal crashes by providing better access to substance abuse treatment while reducing the availability of alcohol in the community, according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A report of the study appears in the April, 2005 issue of the...

Researchers at the University of Washington report in the May 15 Journal of Neuroscience (Volume 20, RC75) the first direct evidence in mice that protein kinase A (PKA) signaling regulates both alcohol-seeking behavior and sensitivity to some of the effects of alcohol intoxication. Given a choice between plain water and solutions containing alcohol, mice missing the RIIB subunit of PKA...

Satellite Symposium to Society for Neuroscience 2014 Annual Meeting PTSD, the Amygdala, and Alcohol Use Disorders November 14, 2014, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Washington, DC Convention Center Room 207B Agenda 9:00 AM - Welcome 9:05 AM - Introduction: PTSD, the Amygdala, and the Connection to Alcohol Abuse George Koob, Ph.D., Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Session...

NIH announces 11 awards funded across three Institutes More than $11 million over three years will be used to support research exploring the use of social media to advance the scientific understanding, prevention, and treatment of substance use and addiction. The awards are funded through the Collaborative Research on Addiction at NIH (CRAN), an NIH consortium involving the National Institute...

Scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, propose using an assessment tool to diagnose addictive disorders that considers addiction-related behaviors, brain imaging, and genetic data. According to a new review article, the Addictions Neuroclinical Assessment (ANA) would facilitate future understanding of the origin of addiction at a biological level...

People who drink more are also likely to eat less fruit and consume more calories from a combination of alcoholic beverages and foods high in unhealthy fats and added sugars, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The study...

An experimental compound repaired a defective alcohol metabolism enzyme that affects an estimated 1 billion people worldwide, according to research supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The findings, published Jan. 10, 2010 in the advance online edition of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, suggest the possibility of a treatment to reduce the health problems associated...

Drinking alcoholic beverages has been linked to an increased risk of upper gastrointestinal cancer and other types of cancer. Researchers looking for the potential biochemical basis for this link have focused on acetaldehyde, a suspected carcinogen formed as the body metabolizes alcohol. In the journal Nucleic Acids Research (vol. 33, num. 11), scientists from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse...

NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM Summary of the 117th Meeting February 6-7, 2008 The National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism convened for its 117th meeting at 5:30 p.m. on February 6, 2008, at the FishersLaneConferenceCenter in Rockville, Maryland, in a closed session, and again at 8:15 a.m. on February 7, also in closed session. The...

Summary of the 124th Meeting June 9-10, 2010 The National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) convened for its 124th meeting at 5:30 p.m. on June 9, 2010, at the Fishers Lane Conference Center in Rockville, Maryland, in closed session for a review of grant applications, review of Merit Award extensions, and Merit Award nominations. Dr. Abraham Bautista...

Physicians often fail to counsel their young adult patients about excessive alcohol use, according to a study led by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. NIAAA guidelines for low risk drinking call for men to drink no more than four drinks in a day and no more than 14 drinks...

Physicians often fail to ask high school-aged patients about alcohol use and to advise young people to reduce or stop drinking, according to a study led by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. In a random survey of more than 2,500 10th grade students with an average age of 16...

A clinical trial investigating a potential treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) was announced by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The study will assess the safety and efficacy of gabapentin enacarbil (HORIZANT) in extended-release tablets for treating moderate to severe AUD. NIAAA is part of the National Institutes of Health. Gabapentin is already widely prescribed to...

Carrying a gene variant that affects the release of a specific brain protein may put one at greater risk of developing an alcohol use disorder, according to the results of a recent animal study. The study was led by Professor Dorit Ron, PhD, Endowed Chair of Cell Biology of Addiction, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, and was...

CollegeAIM is a convenient, research-based tool for comparing college alcohol interventions CollegeAIM, a new resource to help college officials address harmful and underage student drinking, is now available. The CollegeAIM (Alcohol Intervention Matrix) guide and website was developed by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health. The centerpiece of CollegeAIM is a...

BILL LANDS Volunteer (Born: July 22, 1930, Chillicothe, Missouri) was Professor of Biochemistry in Medical Schools at the University of Michigan (1955-1980) and the University of Illinois (1980-1991) where he studied the metabolism of fats, phospholipids, and prostaglandins. He authored as Lands, WE (and recently as Lands, B) over 300 papers and the book, Fish, Omega-3 and Human Health, 2nd...